Abstract

This study utilised a grounded theory approach to explore relationships
between life-experiences, sexual identity and health of young gay men and
lesbians. The sample was gained using a snowball technique; all informants
were aged between 18 and 25 and identified themselves as gay or lesbian.
Thirteen people were interviewed using a recursive in-depth technique.
Through these in-depth interviews, six major themes emerged from the data
collected: (i) concerns of sexual identity; (ii) coming out; (iii) social and sexual
relationships; (iv) social support; (v) health issues; and (vi) experiences in the
education system.
clear that the process of realising sexual identity had a significant
impact on respondents' lives. Most felt that they had grown up in
environments that were relatively hostile to their emerging sexuality. Issues
pertaining to coming out were among those that had most affected the
respondents. Both hiding and disclosing their sexuality were reported as being
very stressful; no informant, however, felt regret about coming out. The
relationships that informants had with their parents remained very important
to them. Fear about parental reactions to coming out was common. Isolation
to some extent was prevalent with regards to friendships, with most
informants reporting both negative and positive reactions from friends on
coming out. Lack of social support was a problem expressed by many
informants, especially during the time they were coming to terms with their
sexuality. In their interactions with health practitioners, informants had often
been assumed to be heterosexual, which had adversely affected the level of
care provided to them. Generally, the health concerns of the young lesbians
related to gynaecological issues, whereas for the young gay men, sexually
transmitted diseases were of greatest concern. The lack of accurate and
inclusive information about sexuality in curricula and the common failure to
acknowledge the presence of gays and lesbians in schools were felt fo be
important concerns by the informants, and most reported having felt alienated
and isolated to some degree while at school.
The main conclusion of this study was that young gay men and lesbians
face a range of challenges and difficulties as a result of widespread
homophobia and heterosexism in the community. It is clear that there is need
for a broader understanding of the types of support that might be required to
improve the overall health of young gays and lesbians in a predominantly
heterocentric society. Several implications were proposed for future research
and for practice.